More Than Play
MR. POTATO HEAD
Go ahead—let your child make faces all he wants!
This classic, face-changing friend is the perfect tater for your tot to learn about body parts and practice hand-eye coordination. When he uses his fingers to swap body parts, facial features and accessories, he’s doing more than just playing. As he picks up, twists, turns, pushes in and pulls out MR. POTATO HEAD’s plastic parts, he’s learning finger control and practicing fine motor skills.
Will he have an ear where an eye should go? What would happen if his feet were on top of his head? These questions help your child learn about his own body, the names of different body parts and how they work (or don’t!) together. Toys like MR. POTATO HEAD encourage out-of-the-box creative play while teaching basic body concepts and fine motor skills. It also invites him to develop a sense of humor. Whether your child creates a character who watches you with his ears or kisses you with his feet, one thing’s for sure: your little spud will love him!
As an infant, he’ll love rolling the friendly face on the outside of the ball, and experimenting with the rattle and squeaker that decorate the outside. Once he gets a little older, he’ll be delighted to discover he can open the ball to reveal lots more activities inside! In the midst of all the fun, he’ll be developing fine motor skills and finger dexterity. This rolling recreation center is packed with so much fun, he’ll be searching and discovering with it for years to come.
Get MR. POTATO HEAD now!
It’s More Than Play... This Toy Also Teaches:
Basic Body Concepts
Imagination
Problem Solving
Fine Motor Skills
Hand-Eye Coordination
Conrol of Muscle Strength
Basic Body Concepts
As your child sticks MR. POTATO HEAD’s silly pink nose where his hat should be, and his spindly white arm where his big blue feet should be, he’s doing more than just playing. He’s also learning about his own body, what his own features are called and what different parts of the body look like. He’s developing an internal picture of himself and learning how all of his body parts fit together. Being able to identify body parts can help your child recognize other human faces and allow him to tell you what hurts when he doesn’t feel well. Having a good understanding of their bodies allows children to walk, run, climb and jump with confidence and control!
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Imagination
What if MR. POTATO HEAD had feet on his head? Would he walk on his hands? Would he still be able to kiss MRS. POTATO HEAD if he had an ear where his mouth used to be? If he put his nose on his head, would he have to switch shampoos? Would it be scary or silly if he went swimming in a bowl of ketchup?
Toys like MR. POTATO HEAD can encourage children to have fun, think outside the box and develop a sense of humor! By thinking creatively, children can learn to solve problems, try new things and explore new possibilities. Imagination is the same skill that children use when they write original stories, build elaborate forts or make games out of everyday chores.
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Problem Solving
“If I put MR. POTATO HEAD’s feet on his head, where will his hat go?” “Can I still fit all of the pieces on his body at once?” MR. POTATO HEAD provides a perfect potato puzzle, motivating your child to figure out how all of the pieces can fit together. By making their own decisions while they play, children begin to think critically, making choices and understanding consequences. Today he might just be deciding where MR. POTATO HEAD’s nose should go, but someday he might be dreaming up new energy sources or designing a brand-new airplane!
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Fine Motor Skills
As your child picks up MR. POTATO HEAD’s goofy glasses and pushes them onto his eyes (or his ears, or nose, or mouth, or feet), he’s developing and refining his finger movements. As children gain control over their fingers, movements may come more naturally to them, allowing them to focus more on what they’re doing and less on how they’re doing it. Good fine motor skills are important when children start writing because they allow children to focus more on actually drawing each letter instead of just focusing on how to hold a pencil.
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Hand-Eye Coordination
In order to properly line up each plastic piece and push it into MR. POTATO HEAD’s potato frame, your child needs his hands and his eyes to work together. Hand-eye coordination requires a lot of practice and refining to master. Good hand-eye coordination is a critical foundation skill that’s necessary for success in all kinds of activities, from doing simple puzzles to throwing and catching balls. !
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Control of Muscle Strength
As your child picks up MR. POTATO HEAD’s big bulbous nose and pushes it into his spud bud’s ear, he’s figuring out how much force he needs to use to get the nose to go in and make it stay there. Playing with toys that require children to push or pull on objects helps them learn about their own strength and understand how much force is required to move objects. Good control of muscle strength may help children understand how much force to use to brush their teeth, throw a ball or pat their pet!
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Learn more—together!
Want to join the fun? Playing with your child can boost her learning, and it gives her more time to bond with you! Try these simple tips to enhance your child’s play experience:
- Ask your child to describe what MR. POTATO HEAD is doing as he plays. Is he going to work? Shopping at the grocery store? Playing with his best friend? Thinking of different topics and situations forces children to consider possibilities and outcomes.
- Take turns role playing different emotions with different body parts. Make exaggerated faces yourself and ask what feeling your face is showing.
- Put MR. POTATO HEAD’s body parts in the wrong places. Ask your child to “fix” MR. POTATO HEAD for you, or to tell you why having a body part in the wrong place can be a problem. “What problems would that cause for eating, drinking, walking or smelling?”
- Make up an imaginary world for MR. POTATO HEAD. Is he a firefighter? A zookeeper? Talk about which body parts are needed for different tasks.
